376: Chapter 375 The Mantis Stalks the Cicada, Unaware of the Oriole Behind (Part 2)

Meanwhile, Qin Yi’s group of three vehicles came to a sudden halt at the edge of the dense forest, their tires crushing the fallen leaves with a dull thud.

"Move fast!" Si Hongbin was the first to get out of the car, gesturing to those behind him.

Six guards immediately began unloading gear: tactical helmets, gas masks, night vision goggles, bulletproof vests, entrenching shovels, and climbing ropes were quickly taken out and lined up on the open ground.

Qin Yi’s gaze swept over the equipment, and he was secretly surprised. Aside from strictly controlled firearms, the Si Family had prepared almost every piece of wilderness survival gear imaginable; this level of thoroughness far exceeded his expectations.

Just then, Si Hongbin approached Qin Yi and Si Yao, speaking with a tone that was thirty percent anxious and seventy percent solemn: "Young Miss, Mr. Qin, I just received a call from the old master. He said that Zhao Lintai just brought a woman to the old manor. After learning that we had entered the mountain, they took their leave as well. However, according to the old master's observation, that woman is not simple; her strength is likely at Peak Anjin!"

Si Hongbin emphasized the words 'Peak Anjin' and kept his eyes locked on Qin Yi as he continued, "Mr. Qin, the old master is worried that Zhao Lintai might act against you. Should we adjust our plan to enter the mountain? After all, Peak Anjin is not so easy to deal with!"

Qin Yi and Si Yao exchanged a glance, a flash of understanding passing between them. They had already known about 'Bai Ruoxue's' arrival last night; they just hadn't expected Zhao Lintai to make a move so quickly.

"No need. You can't guard against a thief forever!" Qin Yi sneered, a cold glint appearing in his eyes. "Since Zhao Lintai dares to come, I'll make sure he never returns!"

Hearing this, Si Hongbin’s heart tightened. Mr. Qin had developed a murderous intent toward Zhao Lintai... No, he had to inform the old master later. If something really happened to Zhao Lintai in the Southwest region, the Si Family would be in trouble even if they were in the right!

But then, Qin Yi’s tone shifted as he continued, "However, Zhao Lintai's target is me; it has nothing to do with the Si Family! Brother Bin, let's stick to our previous agreement. You and the brothers stay on the perimeter while Si Yao and I enter the mountain. If we encounter any difficult danger, we will fire a signal flare!"

Si Hongbin wanted to argue further, but Si Yao spoke up: "Do as Qin Yi says." A sharp look flashed in her beautiful eyes, and her voice suddenly turned cold. "If Zhao Lintai really dares to let that woman make a move on Si Family territory, then let him taste the Si Family's power. You all guard the perimeter well. If a fight really breaks out, you must not let Zhao Lintai escape!"

Seeing that the two of them had made up their minds, Si Hongbin could only nod in agreement.

Once their gear was ready, the two of them stepped into the dense forest one after the other. Si Hongbin watched their figures disappear before leading his men into hiding.

Looking up at the treacherous peak before him, Qin Yi couldn't help but gasp. Observing it from up close, he could feel its ferocity even more—the mountain looked as if it had been split by a giant axe, its steep rock walls covered in bottomless cracks that cast heart-stopping shadows in the dawn light.

"I didn't think much of it from a distance, but seeing it up close, I finally understand what a natural barrier is. No wonder the old master only made it halfway up the mountain back then!" Qin Yi remarked with sincere emotion.

"Yeah, I've only seen this mountain from afar and have never been here before. However, I heard my father mention that this mountain has another name," Si Yao agreed with a nod.

"Oh? What name?" Qin Yi asked curiously.

"Zhuilong Valley!"

"Zhuilong Valley?" Qin Yi's heart skipped a beat, and he immediately asked the System, "System, is this mountain peak a Dragon Vein?"

[Ding! Reporting to the host, this is exactly where the Southwest Dragon Vein is located!]

Having received confirmation from the System, Qin Yi was overjoyed! It seemed he had truly come to the right place!

The System had previously mentioned that wherever a Dragon Vein is located, dragon saliva liquid might appear. It was possible he could actually find dragon saliva liquid here!

Following behind Qin Yi, Si Yao didn't notice his abnormality and continued to speak about the secrets of 'Zhuilong Valley'.

"The name Zhuilong Valley has existed for a long time. Legend has it that long ago, a black dragon fell here and chose this place as its Daoist field for cultivation. Additionally, the magnetic field here is chaotic, and few people enter, which only adds to the mystery of Zhuilong Valley."

"Furthermore, according to my father, on the day I was born, a meteorite fell over Zhuilong Valley and caused a forest fire. Fortunately, it rained in time, preventing the destruction of this primeval forest. My grandfather firmly believed the meteorite's fall was related to my birth, so he led a group into the mountain the next day. Later, he found that piece of Meteoric Iron halfway up the mountain and forged it into that dagger!"

Taking advantage of the gap while Si Yao told the legends of Zhuilong Valley, Qin Yi quietly took the 'Miniature Bionic Tracker' out of his System Space and set up a regional patrol on his phone, setting its range to cover the entire mountain peak.

He had thought the tracker would also be unable to work due to the chaotic magnetic field, but to his surprise, although there was no cell signal, the tracker was completely unaffected by the magnetic field and quickly sent back clear aerial footage.

As expected, things produced by the System were awesome!

With the real-time footage sent back by the 'Miniature Bionic Tracker', Qin Yi felt much more confident.

Following behind Qin Yi, Si Yao saw that he hadn't responded and had been looking down, messing with something, so she took a few quick steps to catch up to him.

"Eh? When did you launch a drone? How come I didn't see it?" Si Yao asked in confusion, looking at the constantly changing aerial footage on Qin Yi's phone screen.

"Uh, haha," Qin Yi laughed awkwardly and lied, "I just launched it; you probably didn't notice just now."

"Wait, that's not right. The magnetic field here is chaotic, and there's not even a cell signal. How can your drone transmit footage?" Si Yao frowned as she asked Qin Yi.

"Uh, it's specially made; it can transmit data even without a signal."

"Whoa, not bad. It must be equipment the Security Bureau gave you. Get one for me later, too."

"Sure. When we get back, I'll tell Captain Ye!"

The two continued forward, but at that moment, the image shook violently. After a brief black screen, it sent back a shocking sight—there was a massive sinkhole at the top of the mountain. Thick white mist continuously billowed from the bottomless pit, making the entire peak look like a smoking chimney.

"Si Yao, look at the white mist on the mountaintop..." Qin Yi handed the phone to Si Yao.

Si Yao looked closely: "This white mist looks like water vapor... Could there be a hot spring at the summit?"

"It's possible," Qin Yi nodded, took back his phone, looked up at the path ahead, and continued, "We're almost halfway up the mountain!"

With that, the two continued their climb. However, the higher they went, the more treacherous the environment became.

The path beneath their feet could no longer be called a path; it was overgrown with thorns, and towering ancient trees blocked out the sun. Thick vines hung down like giant pythons, and light could hardly penetrate the heavy green canopy, leaving the forest in a dim and hazy gloom.

"Stay close to me!" Qin Yi swung his entrenching shovel to clear a path, stepping onto the thick layer of humus with every step.

The deeper they went, the more humid and sticky the air became, filled with the smell of rotting plants and a strange, fishy sweetness.

Qin Yi quickly covered his nose and mouth, saying to Si Yao, "Put on your gas mask. I feel like this smell is unusual; inhaling too much might be dangerous!"

Si Yao nodded. There were many dangers in the primeval forest—snakes, insects, rats, ants, jackals, wolves, tigers, and leopards—which basically posed no threat to a Martial Artist. On the contrary, toxic miasma could take a Martial Artist's life silently!

So, the two stopped, took their gas masks out of their backpacks, and put them on.

After walking another li or so, Qin Yi noticed the hands of the mechanical watch on his wrist began to spin crazily and irregularly.

Qin Yi stopped and frowned, warning, "Be careful, the magnetic field is starting to get chaotic. There might be some special minerals here?"

Si Yao looked around but didn't find anything special. She shook her head and said, "Who knows? Ordinary people never come to this ghostly place, so it wouldn't be surprising if there were special minerals!"

After traveling several li, a swamp shrouded in purple mist blocked their way.

Strange bubbles occasionally rose from the murky mud pit, and the skeletal remains of a beast were half-submerged in it, emitting an aura of death.

Even through the gas mask, Qin Yi seemed to be able to smell the nauseating stench.

Looking at the swamp before them, Si Yao was at a loss. She frowned and asked, "What do we do now?" Her Swimming Dragon Movement Technique was fine for short-distance combat, but if she wanted to easily leap across this swamp of unknown boundaries, it might be a bit difficult.

Qin Yi roughly measured the width of the swamp and made a prompt decision, grabbing Si Yao's hand: "Hold on to me!"

As soon as he finished speaking, the 'Divine Movement Hundred Changes' movement technique was instantly activated. The two of them swept across the swamp like light swallows. From the corner of his eye, Qin Yi glimpsed something wriggling deep in the swamp, but he had no time to investigate further.

Just as the two of them landed, a deafening beast roar came from the dense forest ahead, startling countless birds into the sky.

Immediately after, the jungle shook violently. Qin Yi and Si Yao exchanged a look, knowing that a wild beast had definitely appeared. They each held their entrenching shovels in front of them, staring tensely at the shaking jungle ahead.

...

Meanwhile, at the foot of the mountain, Zhao Lintai’s maybach arrived in a sorry state.

This kind of sedan was not suited for mountain roads like this; the chassis had been scraped countless times along the way. However, since it wasn't his car anyway, he didn't feel distressed.

However, just as he and Bai Ruoxue got out of the car, they heard a loud noise from the mountain.

Zhao Lintai was not a Martial Artist to begin with, and combined with the bumpy ride along the way and his instinctive fear of the unknown dangers in such a primeval forest, his legs felt like jelly and couldn't stop trembling.

He looked up toward the mountain and asked nervously, "Miss, Miss Bai, are we really going into the mountain?"

Bai Ruoxue glanced at him disdainfully, then walked around the three Raptors in front, looked toward the mountain, and teased nonchalantly, "What? Is Young Master Zhao scared?"

Zhao Lintai coughed and braced himself to respond, "Haha, how could I be? I'm just a bit worried. You must have heard that noise just now; couldn't there be some danger in this mountain?"

"There's definitely danger. Snakes, insects, rats, ants, tigers, leopards, jackals, wolves, swamps, toxic miasma—which primeval forest doesn't have them? If Young Master Zhao is scared, just stay in the car!"

"No! I'm not scared! With Miss Bai here, what do I have to fear! I want to see Qin Yi die with my own eyes to vent the hatred in my heart!" Zhao Lintai said through gritted teeth.

Bai Ruoxue smiled and casually pulled two sets of gear out of the back of the three Raptors, throwing one to Zhao Lintai: "Catch! Don't worry, there are gas masks here. As long as you don't get poisoned to death, you don't need to worry about ordinary wild beasts." With that, Bai Ruoxue ignored him and stepped into the dense forest.

Zhao Lintai didn't dare to delay for a second. He picked up the backpack, put it on, and followed her with a forced sense of bravery.

Once Bai Ruoxue and Zhao Lintai had also entered the mountain, Si Hongbin, who was hidden two li away, saw everything through his binoculars.

Just as he was about to report the situation to the old master, he saw another car stop not far away.

The car door opened, and to his surprise, the ones who got out were Yan Yan, Ye Ziming, and Shen Jianan...

As the personal bodyguard of the Si Family's old master, he basically recognized all the prominent figures in the Southwest police circle.

And this Yan Yan was the captain of Action Team 1 of the Southwest Branch of the Security Bureau.

"Why are they here? Could it be that they followed Zhao Lintai here?" Si Hongbin guessed privately, but seeing that the three of them did not continue forward, he temporarily set aside his questions and called Si Zhengxiong.

...

Meanwhile, the sound of the beast's roar from earlier gradually died down, and the sound of the jungle shaking violently continued to come through.

Immediately after, a black bear over two meters long charged out!

Upon seeing humans, it immediately stood up on its hind legs, waving its giant paws, saliva dripping from between its fangs. It let out an excited, bloodthirsty roar and lunged toward Si Yao.

"Watch out!" Qin Yi immediately pulled Si Yao behind him.

This was the first time Qin Yi had seen such a massive black bear; it was completely different from the ones in the zoo.

Looking at its build alone, this black bear must weigh at least three or four hundred jin!

If it were to strike with its paw, a thousand jin of force would probably be an understatement!

The black bear missed its target and immediately changed direction, turning to attack Qin Yi.

Facing the lunging black bear, Qin Yi didn't dodge. Instead, he flew forward to meet it!

He also wanted to test how strong his current power really was. He had always fought against people; it was still unknown whether his power, which far exceeded that of ordinary people, could withstand a black bear head-on. He would use this black bear to test his skills!

"You're crazy!" Si Yao cried out in alarm, breaking into a sweat for Qin Yi.

However, in the next second, a shocking scene occurred—Qin Yi's fist collided with the bear's paw, and the massive creature actually stumbled back, barely stopping after crashing through several large trees!

"Holy shit... Qin Yi, are you even human?" Si Yao couldn't help herself and actually swore.

Qin Yi scratched his head with an awkward smile: "I thought this black bear was stronger. I used my full strength because I was nervous; who knew it would be so weak... This black bear should be a nationally protected animal, right? That punch of mine shouldn't have killed it, right?"

As he spoke, the fallen black bear rolled back up, gave Qin Yi a resentful look, and then bolted away into the distance...

"Fine, you're the boss, you're the boss!" Si Yao gave Qin Yi a thumbs up, then waved her hand and continued, "Let's go; the road ahead is still long!"

The sound of the trees broken by the black bear hitting the ground once again scared the birds in the forest into scattering, and a loud 'rumble' echoed through the mountain.

Zhao Lintai, who was making his way up the mountain, heard this noise, and his legs began to feel like jelly again.

"Miss, Miss Bai, how about we wait at the foot of the mountain instead? They'll have to come out sooner or later; there's no need to risk going into the mountain, right?" Zhao Lintai once again began to back out.

Bai Ruoxue did not listen to Zhao Lintai's suggestion and continued to walk quickly toward the depths.

Zhao Lintai looked back at the foot of the mountain and gritted his teeth. Right now, he only felt safe by Bai Ruoxue's side; if he left her, it would be a problem whether he could even return to the foot of the mountain safely.

...

Meanwhile, upon learning of the situation, Si Zhengxiong thought for a moment and responded, "Wait and see. Remember, your primary task is to ensure the safety of Yaoyao and Qin Yi. As for Zhao Lintai, since people from the Security Bureau are watching him, do not act on your own!"

"Understood." Si Hongbin ended the call and signaled to the guards beside him, "Everyone, stay hidden. No one is to move without my command.""}],